Corban Yaxley
Yaxley was a wizard and a Death Eater who fought during the First Wizarding War. Yaxley did not search for Voldemort after his first downfall, but this was forgiven after Voldemort's return in 1995. Yaxley also fought at several battles of the Second Wizarding War, such as the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. When Voldemort was in control of the British Ministry of Magic, Yaxley became the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Yaxley went on to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, where he was subdued by George Weasley and Lee Jordan. His fate after Lord Voldemort's final defeat, however, is uncertain. Biography First Wizarding War Yaxley was one of the many Death Eaters who fought in the First Wizarding War. After Lord Voldemort's first downfall, Yaxley managed to avoid imprisonment in Azkaban. Like many others, Yaxley believed Voldemort had been finished and, thus, did not attempt to find him.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 2 (Spinner's End) Second Wizarding War Yaxley returned to Voldemort after his rebirth. Yaxley became, once more, an active Death Eater during the Second Wizarding War.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 12 (Magic Is Might) Yaxley later went on to serve under Fenrir Greyback, and participated in the kidnapping of Ollivander. Alongside Greyback and another Death Eater, he participated in the destruction of the Millennium Bridge. via the Room of Requirement.]] Battle of the Astronomy Tower In June of 1997, Yaxley was among the group of Death Eaters who led an assault at Hogwarts Castle. Along with Alecto and Amycus Carrow and Fenrir Greyback, he reached the Astronomy Tower, where he pressured Draco Malfoy to do the deed Voldemort ordered him to perform: murder Albus Dumbledore.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 27 (The Lightning-Struck Tower) Yaxley was determined to follow the orders, attacking Greyback when he moved forward to attack Dumbledore. Before Draco could bring himself to kill him, Severus Snape arrived and murdered the Headmaster, blasting the body from the tower. The Death Eaters proceeded to flee from the Castle, before any of the Order of the Phoenix summoned Ministry of Magic reinforcements. While getting down from the Astronomy Tower, Yaxley was hit with a Full Body-Bind Curse by Harry Potter.Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince) Later, when Ministry of Magic officials searched the Tower, they found Yaxley''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' - Chapter 30 (The White Tomb) and he was likely arrested and taken to Azkaban. Ministry take-over A few weeks later, Yaxley had already broken out of Azkaban. Yaxley attended the Death Eater meeting at Malfoy Manor in July of 1997. During that meeting, he reported that he had placed Pius Thicknesse, then head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, under the Imperius Curse as part of Lord Voldemort's plan to take over the Ministry of Magic. Many of his fellow Death Eaters were impressed, though Voldemort believed Snape's estimate of when Harry Potter would be removed from his relatives' home over Yaxley's.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 1 (The Dark Lord Ascending) Yaxley fell for the trap set by Alastor Moody on that count, whereas Snape knew the true date, setting the stage for the Battle over Little Whinging. , Ministry Official; Dolores Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister and Head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission; Pius Thicknesse, Minister for Magic; and Yaxley, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.]] As Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement On 1 August, 1997, Voldemort's plan and Yaxley's efforts succeeded when Minister Rufus Scrimgeour was killed and Pius Thicknesse became the puppet Minister for Magic.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 8 (The Wedding) The Ministry fell under Voldemort's control and Yaxley, as a inner-circle Death Eater, was made the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In this role, he participated in at least some of the interrogations and harassment of Muggle-borns, along with Dolores Umbridge, Head of the new Muggle-Born Registration Commission, while using his cruelty and new authority to intimidate lower ranking employees such as Reginald Cattermole.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 13 (The Muggle-Born Registration Commission) When Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley infiltrated the Ministry and freed the Muggle-born prisoners, Yaxley attempted to stop them. He grabbed Hermione's arm as the trio Disapparated. Hermione managed to evade him by using a Revulsion Jinx, but not before revealing the location of 12 Grimmauld Place. Thus, the house was no longer a safe hideout for the trio. Battle of Hogwarts In 2 May, 1998, Yaxley participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. He and Antonin Dolohov stood guard in the Forbidden Forest during the brief interlude that followed Voldemort's ultimatum to Harry Potter. They were followed back to the Death Eater camp by Harry under his Invisibility Cloak.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 34 (The Forest Again) During the final moments of the battle, Yaxley was defeated by Lee Jordan and George Weasley. His ultimate fate is unknown.Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 36 (The Flaw in the Plan) Physical appearance .]] Yaxley was described as having hard, blunt features and an unpleasant smile. He was relatively tall. Personality and traits Yaxley, like many other Death Eaters, was obsessed with blood-purity. In 1997, he became the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and he, along with Dolores Umbridge, imprisoned muggle-borns in Azkaban. During one of such Yaxley laughed at Mary Cattermole, who was afraid of what would happen to her children, saying that "the brats of Mudbloods ''did not stir his sympathies''", indicating that he despises even half-bloods, despite Voldemort permitting them to continue living in the Wizarding community. Yaxley is a proud and ambitious person, as he described in detail on how he subdued Thicknesse, as well as eagerly speaking of the plan to move Harry, in hopes of attracting more praise from Voldemort and fellow Death Eaters. He also was very intimidating: he used his power as Head of the Department to intimidate Ron Weasley, disguised as Reginald Cattermole, to get his office dried in time, while ignoring a greeting from another wizard, showing his lack of manners. Magical abilities and skills *'Imperius Curse:' Yaxley was a master of the Imperius Curse, being able to keep Pius Thicknesse under his control throughout the entire war. However, Yaxley did claim that he had a difficult time in subduing Thicknesse. *'Nonverbal magic:' Yaxley hit Greyback with a powerful knockback jinx, possibly Ventus, without speaking an incantation. *'Expert Duellist:' Yaxley was a very proficient duellist, able to hold his own extremely well against former duelling champion Filius Flitwick and fight him to a stalemate while Antonin Dolohov, one of Voldemort's most powerful Death Eaters, was defeated by Flitwick. Yaxley was amongst the Death Eaters who managed to last until the end of the Battle of Hogwarts and it took George Weasley and Lee Jordan to finally take him down. Behind the scenes * Yaxley is portrayed by British actor Johnpaul Castrianni in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and by Peter Mullan in the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Part 2. Peter Mullan cast as Death Eater Yaxley in Deathly Hallows '' * It is likely that Yaxley is related to Lysandra Black (née Yaxley), wife of Arcturus Black II and maternal grandmother of Arthur Weasley, and thus to the Black, Crouch, Longbottom, Potter, and Weasley families, albeit distantly.Black family tree * In the video game adaption of ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Yaxley is not seen nor mentioned. His role during the Infiltration of the Ministry of Magic is taken instead by a senior Ministry official (who takes "Reginald Cattermole" and "Mafalda Hopkirk" into a meeting) and by a Death Eater (who grabs Hermione Granger at one of the fireplaces). Appearances *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)'' *''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in the sixth game, there is a masked Death Eater who brings up the rear, just like Yaxley did. *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1'' *''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2'' Notes and references fr:Yaxley ru:Яксли fi:Yaxley Category:Azkaban convicts Category:Azkaban escapees Category:Battle of Hogwarts participants Category:Battle of the Astronomy Tower participants Category:British individuals Category:Death Eaters Category:Males Category:Ministry of Magic employees Category:Wizards